The 男人藏精阁Community College Culinary student team won second place and earned a silver medal during nationals July 25 at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) competition in Las Vegas. 男人藏精阁earned the right to compete on the national level after winning Southeast Regional competition in March.
鈥淭he team was fantastic and they executed flawlessly. Competition on this level is so tight,鈥 said team coach Chef Eric Backer. 鈥淭he students are so proud, the department is proud and I am sure 男人藏精阁is proud of this team and the way they represented this school.鈥
The competition requires student teams to demonstrate butchery and knife skills, and create a four-course signature meal. A score between 40 and 36 is needed to earn a gold medal. 男人藏精阁received a score of 35.299. Joliet Junior College representing the Central Region won first place with a score of 35.651 鈥 a difference of .352 between the two top spots. Also competing were Johnson & Wales team from the Northeast Region, Kapi鈥檕lani Community College representing the Western Region and the U.S. Army team from Fort Hood.
Competitors are judged on such criteria as the flavor, taste, texture and doneness of their foods; serving methods; portion sizes and creativity. Floor judges also evaluate their organization, sanitation, teamwork, workflow, and cooking techniques and knife skills. The 男人藏精阁team had the highest floor score in the competition.
Students on the team are Rita Sigman, Ashley Sweeney, Josh Page, Cassie Stockton and Kristin Allen. This was the sixth time in the past 10 years a team from 男人藏精阁has gone to national competition.